Robbio



May 15, 1956 B. ROBBIO 2,745,371

MEMORANDUM DEVICE Filed March l, 1954 INVENTOR. B V75/am z'rL E 0 b,z'0

ATTORNYS.

United States Patent() MEMORANDUM DEVICE Benjamin Robbio, Providence, R. I., assignor to Giftcraft, Inc., a corporation of Rhode Island Application March 1, 1954, Serial No. 413,217

3 Claims. (Cl. 116-134) This invention relates to a memorandum device of a type which may be carried about in the pocket or pocket book or bag of a person.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a device which will have indicia thereon which may be selectively designated so that the need for writing on a piece of paper or the like may be dispensed with.

Another object of the invention is to provide keys which may be used to selectively indicate the selected indicia and which may be moved and held into either of two selected positions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction which will be simple and easily assembled.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction which will be so assembled that soldering or similar expensive operations may be eliminated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction or" the parts which may be made by simple press operations.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

ln the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a top plan view of the memorandum device;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the cover of the device inverted and showing the keys assembled with the cover;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the body part of the device looking into the same with the cover removed but showing the spring plate in position;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing the cover plate as assembled in position on the body of the box;

Figure 6 is a detailed sectional view substantially on line 6-6 of Figure 5.

In proceeding with this invention, I provide a body member in box-like shape having bottom and side walls, and into this body member there is positioned a plate which has been slit to provide a plurality of spring ngers. The cover of this box is provided with a plurality of keys which are pivoted on rods which extend along the under surface of the 4cover and which keys will engage with the spring plate which is positioned within the box. The ends of the keys are so angled as to provide flat surfaces which may engage a selected one of the spring ngers so as tot hold it in either one of two selected positions. indicia may be provided along the outer obverse face of the cover of the box opposite each of the keys so that the movement of the keys will designate the selected indicia and serve as a memorandum to assist the person using the same.

With reference to the drawings, 10 designates generally the body of the device which comprises a bottom wall 11, opposite side walls 12 and 13, and opposite end walls 14 and 15, these walls being seen in plan view in ICC Figure 3. The spring mechanism consists of a supporting plate 15 with longitudinally extending openings 17 and 13 therein which is substantially the size of the inside of the body of the box and designed to rest upon the bottom wall 11 of the box. A spring plate 19 rests upon and is riveted to the center of this supporting plate 16 by rivets 2i). The center portion of this spring plate 19 is uncut while it is slitted at intervals as at 21 to provide spring fingers 22 extending in opposite directions and in side by side adjacency. The plate 19 is also substantially the size of the inner walls of the box so that it will maintain its position therein although by use of the rivets a smaller size may be used.

The cover of the device is designated generally 25 (Figure 2) and comprises a top wall 26 with opposite side anges 27 and 2S and opposite end tianges 29 and 30. This top wall 26 is provided with a plurality of slots 31 arranged in two rows, one row being designated 32 and the other row being designated 33. These slots are located so as to be each one directly over a spring linger 22 when the cover is assembled on the body. Keys 34 are provided with bushings 35', which receive a rod 36 for one row of keys and a rod 37 for the other row of keys. The keys are assembled on the rods 36 and 37 by assembling the keys on the rod and then putting the keys in place through each of the slots. Then by reason of the rods 36 and 37 being of the proper length, they are forced into place by reason of the resilience of the end walls 29 and 3i) so as to` be frictionally held in position such as shown in Figure 2. The cover is then assembled on the body and the notches 38 and 39 in each of the end walls 14 and 15 of a depth substantially the diameter of the rod receive the rod and hold it in the xed relation in the body of the box. Suitable detent means as at 40 and 41 may be provided to hold the cover of the box in locked position in place.

The keys 34 are provided with fiat surfaces 42 and 43 at an angle to each other, as clearly shown in Figure 5, to form oppositely disposed surfaces either one of which surfaces may engage one of the spring fingers 22 so as to hold the key either with the surface 42 engaging it or at the same angle on the opposite side of the vertical so that the surface 43 will engage the spring fingers. By this arrangement a key will be held either in the position shown in Figure 5 or in a position at the opposite angle to the vertical by reason of the spring fingers, Thus, certain or" the keys designated 4S (Figure l) are held in non-indicating position, and certain other of the keys 46 are held in indicating position as shown in Figure 1. Opposite each of these keys there will be indicia designated 47 which may be any list of articles which might appear on a memorandum pad, such for instance as household articles as here shown. Should the housewife he using this memorandum and iind that it was necessary to procure spices and fruits, the keys would be moved into the position shown at 4,6 so as to designate these particular articles, while the other keys would remain resiliently held in their position away from the indicia 47a shown at 45. After the user had procured the particular article designated, the key could then be moved to the position such as shown at 4S, when it need no longer serve as a reminder that the particular article was to be procured.

In some cases the spaces opposite a key might be provided with an eras-able surface so that should the article desired not appear in the printed list on the memorandum device, it might be written in temporarily for easy erasure.

The device thus provided is of simple construction, simple assembly, and all of the parts may be assembled without the use of solder or expensive tools. The device is simple of operation and may be conveniently carried by the housewife.

I claim:

1. A memorandum device comprising a hollow body having a top wall, indicia on the obverse face of said wall at spaced locations therealong, a one-piece supporting plate within said body having a longitudinal opening therein, a spring member secured to said plate, said spring member bridging said opening and resting on said plate at the opposite edges thereof, individual movable keys projecting through said wall, each key located to serve one of said spaced indicia and movable into at least two positions with reference to said indicia to selectively designate said indicia, a surface of each of said keys eX- tending into engagement with said spring member at a location thereon between the edges of said opening to be tensioned and held by said spring member in one of said two selected positions.

2. A memorandum device comprising a hollow body having a top wall, indicia on the obverse face of said wall at spaced locations therealong, a one-piece supporting plate within said body having a longitudinal opening therein, a member secured to said plate having a plurality of flat spring ngers bridging said opening and resting on said plate at the opposite edges thereof, individual mov able keys projecting through said wall and having oppositely disposed surfaces, each key located to serve one of said spaced indicia and movable into at least two positions with reference to said indicia to selectively designate said indicia, one of the surfaces of each of said keys extending into engagement with one of said fingers at a location thereon between the edges of said opening to be tensioned and held by said linger in one of said two selected positions.

3. A memorandum device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said plate has oppositely disposed longitudinal openings and said spring lingers are secured to said plate in the space thereon between said openings with one set of fingers projecting across one of said openings and another set of ngers projecting across the other of said openings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,659,691 Kingman Feb. 21, 1928 2,155,332 Schuerlein Apr. 18, 1939 2,476,560 Norgard July 19, 1949 2,500,495 Mutch Mar. 14, 1950 2,541,423 Kirtogian Feb. 13, 1951 

